General Motors (GM) has issued a recall for more than 900 vehicles equipped with Takata air bags that can cause injury or death when inflated.

The automaker said in a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) filing that certain model year 2013 Buick Veranos and three Chevrolets — the Volt, Sonic and Camaro — are affected by the recall.

“In these vehicles, the front-driver air bag inflator may contain a supplier manufacturing defect that may result in inflator rupture during deployment,” GM said. “In the event of a vehicle crash and the driver air bag is commanded to deploy, the driver air bag inflator may rupture, causing metal fragments to pass through the air bag and into the vehicle interior, which may result in injury or death to vehicle occupants.” 

The recall applies to 767 vehicles within the U.S. and 101 in Canada. Another 46 vehicles are stationed in other countries, including Brazil where the issue first emerged.

GM said it received an allegation that a 2013 Camaro was in a crash that caused the front-driver air bag inflator to rupture on May 23, 2022.

“An inspection completed by GM Brazil on May 26, 2023, confirmed that the front driver air bag inflator in the subject vehicle ruptured during deployment,” it said.

The OEM added that inflator components and driver side carpet from the car were then shipped to its Joyson Safety Systems’ facility in Armada, Michigan for further analysis, which is still ongoing.

“Initial findings, including the post-deployment condition of the inflator, indicate the rupture is likely related to a manufacturing defect in the inflator and not due to propellant degradation from age or environmental exposure,” GM said.

It said it is not aware of any other cases and did not disclose whether the occupants of the Camaro that sparked the probe were injured.

GM said its dealers will replace the front driver air bag module on affected vehicles for free, and that owners will be sent notifications beginning Sept. 11.

Among the vehicles recalled in the U.S., 537 are Camaros, 118 are Volts, 60 are Sonics, and 43 are Veranos.

The recall number is N232413120. Those with questions can call Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Vehicle owners and repairers can always use NHTSA’s lookup tool to check for open recalls.

This is the latest in a string of Takata recalls. Last month, NHTSA issued a “do not drive” warning for 2003 Dodge Ram 1500s after a passenger was killed by a Takata air bag rupture.

The federal administration said this was the first time a Takata death has been attributed to an exploding passenger-side inflator, and the first related to this make and model of vehicle.

Chrysler initially recalled certain model year 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks in 2015. The recall applied to vehicles manufactured from August 29, 2002 to July 25 2003 to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator.

Takata air bags, which have now been linked to 26 U.S. deaths, and issues with their inflators have been ongoing since 2008.

Approximately 67 million air bags used by 19 OEMs have been recalled because the air bags can explode when deployed, causing serious injuries or death. The inflators use phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate as a propellant that has been known to result in violent explosions and send metal shrapnel into the faces of vehicle occupants.

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